Comfortable Slumber Japanese-style Hotel "Ryokan" What is a Ryokan?   How to choose a Ryokan Okami, the Landlady The Fee System & Prices   Photo Gallery     Origins and History of the Japanese Ryokan (PDF)     The wonders of Japanese Architecture & the Japanese Garden (PDF)     An Invitation to the Profound Taste of Japanese Cuisine (PDF)   Now You Stay in a Ryokan Receiving Guests   Prelude to Relaxation   To Your Guestroom   Guestrooms of the Ryokan   After Settled Down in Guestroom   Japanese-style Garden   Onsen, Hot Springs   Open-air Hot Spring Bath   Private Open-air Hot Spring Bath   Yukata   Dinner   Massage & Esthetic Treatment   Comfortable Slumber Breakfast   Checking-out     How to use Chopsticks (PDF)     The four Seasons and the Seasonal Calendar of the Japanese Ryokan (PDF)     Glossary of Terms Related to the Japanese Ryokan (PDF)   How to enjoy staying at a RYOKAN   Ryokan Experience by Expatriates     Comfortable Slumber Guests can sleep well, whether on Japanese futon or on Western-style beds. A day filled with the pleasures of travel passes quickly by and is about to close, when you suddenly realize it is already past bedtime. Lying down, chatting or reading on clean soft bedding, feeling cozy in the afterglow of your travel, you will soon slip into a world of dreams and sleep soundly, looking forward to the pleasures that tomorrow will bring. In a washitsu (tatami-mat room), futon, Japanese-style mattresses and bedding are spread out over the tatami mats. Guests often say just how well they sleep on the futon of the ryokan, perhaps because of the well-starched sheets and pillow covers. At a ryokan, attendants take care of putting out the futon. Efficiently and carefully, they prepare the bedding so that guests can enjoy a good night's sleep. For those who can sleep only on a bed, some ryokans have guestrooms with a Western-style bedroom. What matters is that guests can sleep well, whether on Japanese futon or on Western-style beds. Illustration : Sleeping on Futon(PDF: 1.1 MB) Japane-style bedding 'futon'   Spread out over the 'tatami' mats.   A paper-covered lamp called an 'andon' , placed by the futon           Outside the ryokan, taimatsu (pine torches), t-or-o (lanterns) or kagari-bi (watch fires) remain lit until dawn, making the guests feel at ease so that they can sleep well.   Feeling cozy in the afterglow of your travel   Attendants take care of putting out the futon. < Last | Next >